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"Tsk tsk, if we disregard the Power Stone's enhancement, I'm afraid ten Ronans wouldn't be a match for Captain Marvel alone."
At this moment, Karl, who was 'cloud-watching' from his Golden Throne, couldn't help but sigh with emotion after witnessing Captain Marvel's humiliating defeat:
"But right now, even though the Universal Weapon in Ronan's hand, which serves as a container, cannot unleash even one-tenth of the Power Stone's true power, it still crushed Captain Marvel like a stray dog.
Is the Power Stone too strong, or is Captain Marvel too weak?"
"Ultimately, you have to be strong yourself… You need to grasp both your own strength and the infinity stones simultaneously."
…
Meanwhile, Ronan, inside the Dark Star, laughed wildly as he watched Captain Marvel fall like a broken kite.
"Hahahaha, Carol, do you see? This is my power now! You are no longer my opponent."
Ronan immediately gave orders to his staff: "Send out all Necrocraft and launch a full-scale attack on Earth.
I want to see if those Earthlings can defend themselves without Carol!"
"Yes, My Lord The Accuser."
…
Unlike Ronan's triumph, Nick Fury, currently on the Sky Carrier, had lost all his earlier joy, his dark face staring blankly at Carol Danvers, who had been shot down by the purple ray on the large screen.
He roared hysterically, his sole eye wide:
"Motherf*cker, Carol, what the hell happened to you? Why did you lose to that guy?"
"Aren't you Captain Marvel, who is invincible across the Universe?"
Star-Lord, hearing this, muttered inappropriately to the side, "If this is your Earth's Guardian, then I can only say… she's just okay, doesn't feel much stronger than me!"
"Shut up." Gamora glared at Star-Lord, then looked at Nick Fury, who was clearly on the verge of breaking down, and reminded him:
"While there's still a chance to salvage this, I advise you to contact Mr. Karl immediately…"
However, before she could finish, Nick Fury interrupted her furiously: "Don't you dare mention that bastard's name in front of me again, or I'll throw all of you into the Raft Prison."
"You wouldn't dare."
Star-Lord unhesitatingly pulled out two energy pistols, pointing them at Nick Fury, and warned him with extreme seriousness:
"Do you believe I'll blast your dark face and this broken spaceship to smithereens right now?"
Drax, though silent, immediately drew the two sharp daggers from his waist, ready for battle at any moment.
Although Star-Lord, Gamora, and the others had only recently gathered, they had already developed a preliminary understanding during their previous battles.
"Woah, alien cowboy, I advise you not to make any rash moves…"
Hawkeye, who had somehow already drawn his bow, nocked an arrow, and successfully locked onto Star-Lord's head, said mercilessly:
"If you dare to make a move, I guarantee I'll blow your head off immediately!"
Black Widow and the others also raised their weapons, aiming at Gamora and Drax.
Even though these people also felt that Nick Fury's words were excessive, when it came to choosing sides, they had to choose sides.
This was a matter of principle, and it also prevented Nick Fury, that petty guy, from making trouble for them later.
The atmosphere on the scene instantly became tense, as if the two sides would erupt into a fight at any second, and everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit.
"Everyone, calm down."
At the crucial moment, Captain America stepped forward without hesitation, and advised in a deep voice: "With the enemy at hand, now is not the time for infighting…"
"Our common enemy right now is Ronan outside the atmosphere, and the Invaders he leads!"
"Excuse me, we didn't start this." Star-Lord didn't listen to the explanation, raising his chin towards Nick Fury and saying uncompromisingly:
"That dark-skinned guy was the one who first said he was going to throw us in prison…"
"What I want to tell you is, whether you're the Avengers or some other weird thing, no one can just lock us up… after all, we just broke out of another prison!!"
Though Star-Lord usually acted like a clueless idiot, he was surprisingly reliable in crucial moments… well, except for that one time in Avengers 3 when he fought Thanos on Titan!
"…" Captain America was speechless, unable to retort, because Star-Lord was right.
Originally, S.H.I.E.L.D. had gained some preparation time precisely because they had received early warning messages from Star-Lord and others sent to Earth.
Logically, they should have been grateful to them.
But who would have thought that Nick Fury, that petty guy, instead of actively trying to unite with them against Ronan, would instead, like a madman who had lost his mind, threaten Star-Lord and the others.
Is this something a human being would do?
But the most infuriating thing was that this dark-skinned guy still maintained an attitude of 'I did nothing wrong' and 'they forced me to do this,' leaving Captain America at a loss for how to defend him.
"Ms. Gamora, I apologize to you on Fury's behalf."
Finally, considering the bigger picture, Captain America chose to admit his mistake and once again shifted the topic to Ronan: "If even Captain Marvel cannot shake Ronan, then perhaps Ronan truly possesses the power to destroy Earth, as you said…"
"So, what we need to do next is, no matter what, absolutely prevent Ronan from reaching the surface!"
With Captain America's apology, the tense atmosphere on the scene dissipated considerably.
Although Gamora and Star-Lord's expressions still showed wariness, their brows had relaxed significantly.
Tony Stark glanced at Captain America, furrowing his brow and saying, "But the most crucial question now is, what do we use to stop Ronan?"
"Yes, even Captain Marvel is no match for Ronan, let alone us." Invisible Woman subtly pulled her younger brother back.
If she hadn't stopped him just now, that hothead would have directly set Star-Lord on Fire.
Her foolish younger brother had clearly been thoroughly brainwashed by Nick Fury.
The other Avengers members all showed complex expressions, clearly having no good solutions in the face of the current situation.
"Don't worry, everyone, I believe Carol won't be defeated that easily…"
Nick Fury, having regained some composure, had already realized that his earlier outburst had nearly caused a major mistake.
So, he actively waved to Hawkeye and Black Widow, signaling them to put down their weapons first, and then looked at Star-Lord and Gamora, saying:
"Ms. Gamora, I'm truly sorry about earlier; I was indeed out of line.
But please rest assured, I will absolutely not send you to prison…"
He hadn't even finished his attempt to mend the situation when Gamora coldly interrupted him, "Alright, since you already have your own plans, there's no point in us staying here any longer… After all, whether Earth is destroyed or not has nothing to do with us."
With that, she pressed down Star-Lord's energy pistol and walked out with the two.
Although she still couldn't understand why Nick Fury was so against Mr. Karl, Gamora clearly understood that this so-called S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander would rather see Earth destroyed by Ronan than ask Mr. Karl for help.
This made her feel somewhat disappointed, and at the same time, she found it ridiculous that such a foolish guy could become the supreme Commander.
It seems Earth is truly beyond saving!
"Fury, what do we do next?"
After Gamora and the two left, Captain America looked at Nick Fury with a complicated expression, and the latter blurted out without thinking, "Why the hell are you asking me?
How should I know… As an elder of the Avengers, shouldn't you be thinking of a solution?"
"I…"
Captain America's mouth twitched slightly; he wanted to say something but ultimately forced himself to hold back.
Because he knew that anything he said to Nick Fury now would be in vain.
Unless he could find a way to resolve Ronan's current crisis.
But the problem was, he couldn't do it at all?!
No, it should be said that Captain America actually did have a way, and that was to ask Karl for help.
Although he didn't understand why 'aliens' like Gamora had heard of Karl Merks's name, from previous crises, Captain America had already acknowledged the power of Karl and Hyperspace Group in his heart.
If the other party was willing to act now, it would most likely resolve this crisis.
It's just that…
Due to Nick Fury's terrible performance just now, Captain America didn't dare to mention Karl's name.
Sigh, I suddenly feel so exhausted!
Being an Avenger is too damn frustrating, isn't it?
Captain America, feeling the urge to retreat, couldn't help but think to himself: Carter, perhaps I won't be able to protect this organization you founded until the very last moment!
At this moment, Maria Hill suddenly exclaimed, "Officer, a large number of small spacecraft are pouring out from the Dark Star and accelerating towards the ground…"
Everyone quickly turned their gaze to the large screen, only to see dense swarms of Necro-craft already breaking through the atmosphere and flying towards the surface.
Boom boom boom—
Before even officially reaching the ground, some Necro-craft impatiently opened fire downwards.
These 'Necro-warriors,' created using alien biochemical cloning technology, had the gene responsible for causing fear removed from their genetic chain from the embryonic stage.
Therefore, they would unconditionally carry out every command given by Ronan, even if it meant dying; these monstrously ugly Necro-warriors would not hesitate in the slightest.
It is precisely because of this fearless fighting style that the Necro-Legion's combat power is many times stronger than that of the Chitauri soldiers who previously invaded New York.
At least there wouldn't be a situation where 'destroying the host takes everyone offline.'
"Tony, Human Torch, you two immediately lead the quinjet squadron and do your best to intercept these enemy aircraft…"
Nick Fury, without thinking, immediately gave the order: "I will immediately apply to the Security Council for aerial reinforcements to help you seal off the airspace and ensure that Ronan's main ship does not approach the surface!!"
If that could seal them off, it would be a miracle!
Wouldn't Ronan just launch more missiles at the surface?
Although he had already made up his mind, Tony Stark still didn't say much, only taking a deep look at Nick Fury before leaving the Command Center with Human Torch.
However, before Nick Fury could contact the Security Council, a video communication from the Dark Star directly hijacked all playback devices in the entire area, including the Sky Carrier.
Ronan's dark blue, pancake-like face appeared on the large screen, and he announced with a sneer: "Earthlings, I am The Accuser Ronan from the Kree Empire.
Listen to me, accept your fate; that poor Carol cannot save you… Now, I will give you 1 hour to voluntarily hand over the Tesseract to me, otherwise, I will directly destroy Earth!!"
With that, Ronan abruptly cut off the communication hijack.
But this brief declaration directly caused an uproar on Earth.
Those who had previously been skeptical of The Daily Bugle's reports about 'aliens about to invade Earth' were now completely convinced.
However, what good would their belief do?
Facing a global crisis, could they possibly escape to another planet?
And some smart citizens quickly picked up their phones and called their country's government agencies, strongly demanding that S.H.I.E.L.D. hand over the Tesseract to resolve this crisis.
After all, hadn't The Daily Bugle said before that the Tesseract was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands!
The reactions of various countries around the World were also quite swift; those in the main combat zone immediately dispatched their fighter squadrons in an attempt to block the Necro-craft's attack.
However, compared to the Necro-craft, which, despite their ugly appearance, had weapon and power systems that were vastly superior, even the most advanced fifth-and-a-half generation fighter jets on Earth were utterly helpless.
Only S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quinjet, built with Skrull technology, could barely manage a few rounds.
But the key issue was that even though S.H.I.E.L.D. had already mastered many advanced alien technologies that surpassed Earth's technology more than a decade ago.
Under Nick Fury's orders, these alien technologies were either permanently sealed away or used on a small scale within S.H.I.E.L.D.
This selfish, self-willed man had never, from beginning to end, thought about helping Earth achieve technological evolution and leapfrog development.
What he truly cared about was ensuring that no one or no organization could ever surpass S.H.I.E.L.D.